William John (Jack) Gray's passport photo circa 1917. (William "Bill" Gray.)
The pledge William John (Jack) Gray signed while the Germans kept him as a POW. (William "Bill" Gray.)
William John (Jack) Gray's German money dated May 1, 1918 from Aachen. (William "Bill" Gray.)
A column in the November 3, 2004 edition of the Fort Frances Times about the impact William John (Jack) Gray had on Fort Frances, Ontario after the war. (William "Bill" Gray.)
Page 1 (shortened) of a letter William John (Jack) Gray wrote to his mother on May 12, 1915 describing in detail the “big modern battle.” (William "Bill" Gray.)
Page 2 of a letter William John (Jack) Gray wrote to his mother on May 12, 1915 describing in detail the “big modern battle.” (William "Bill" Gray.)
Page 3 of a letter William John (Jack) Gray wrote to his mother on May 12, 1915 describing in detail the “big modern battle.” (William "Bill" Gray.)
Page 4 of a letter William John (Jack) Gray wrote to his mother on May 12, 1915 describing in detail the “big modern battle.” (William "Bill" Gray.)
Page 5 of a letter William John (Jack) Gray wrote to his mother on May 12, 1915 describing in detail the “big modern battle.” (William "Bill" Gray.)
Page 6 of a letter William John (Jack) Gray wrote to his mother on May 12, 1915 describing in detail the “big modern battle.” (William "Bill" Gray.)
Page 7 of a letter William John (Jack) Gray wrote to his mother on May 12, 1915 describing in detail the “big modern battle.” (William "Bill" Gray.)

William John "Jack" Gray

“I will not escape...nor will I attempt to commit any action during this time to the prejudice of the German Empire.”

In 1916, William John (Jack) Gray traded life in the trenches for a commission in the Royal Flying Corps, only to be shot down and captured by German forces. While a prisoner of war, Gray was made to sign the following pledge: “I will not escape nor attempt to make an escape, nor will I make any preparation to do so, nor will I attempt to commit any action during this time to the prejudice of the German Empire.”

The Weyburn, Saskatchewan man enlisted on August 6, 1914, just two days after the war was declared. He served with the 19th Alberta Dragoons, taking part in several battles, including Neuve Chapelle, Ypres, Festubert and the Somme. In 1916, he joined the Royal Flying Corps as an aerial observer. Shot down near Péronne, France, he was held in five different German prison camps before finally being released on December 8, 1918. After a short stint serving on the repatriation staff in Copenhagen, Denmark, he returned to Canada in the spring of 1919 to work as a banker

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Tags

volunteered (285), survived (227), letter (71), Air Force (40), Saskatchewan (36), POW (14), Festubert (6)
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